UW Graduate School Awards Outstanding Graduate Contributions

May 15, 2009

The University of Wyoming Graduate School has recognized 16
students and one professor for their outstanding research
accomplishments during the 2008 calendar year.

"Our outstanding graduate students and graduate faculty contribute to an
extraordinary degree, and in a number of positive ways throughout our
campus community and in the graduate learning experience," says UW
Graduate School Dean Don Roth. "This is our opportunity, on an annual
basis, to recognize them for those contributions."

Recipients were exemplary in their teaching, evidenced in the areas of
improving their teaching ability through workshops, special training,
formal coursework, participation in the Program in College Teaching or
the Preparing Future Faculty forum and formal mentoring by a faculty
member. Student evaluations were also a factor.

Five students received Outstanding Master's Thesis Awards for their
contributions to the master's enterprise of the university. Master's
theses in the areas of the physical and life sciences, in the social
sciences and in humanities and fine arts are considered.

-- Maggie Renken (Roaring Gap, N.C., psychology), "The Effect of Prior
Belief Bias on Conclusions from a Simple Physics Experiment: Does it
Matter Whether Students Conduct or Read about the Experiment?" Mentor:
Narina Nunez.

Three students earned Outstanding Dissertation Awards for their
contributions to UW's research, scholarly and creative activities.
Dissertations in the areas of life sciences, in the social sciences, and
in the physical, earth and computational sciences are considered.

UW mathematics professor and Laramie native, Bryan Shader, received the
Distinguished Graduate Faculty Mentor Award that recognizes and honors
outstanding faculty commitment to graduate student mentoring. Students,
faculty, staff, and other colleagues-including alumni from across the
nation-nominate faculty who possess a stellar record of engaging
students, building a positive and respectful mentoring relationship, and
commitment to program rigor and expectations.

The Graduate Council of the University of Wyoming selected the
recipients, and all awards carry with them an honorarium. Recipients
were honored at a recent luncehon in the Wyoming Union.